Every Night
by 0WritersBlock0
Summary: This was inspired about that one Twitter post about a girl spooning with the monster under her bed. This story is just a one-shot, but I might make it longer later on.
1. One

Every Night

Every night, I fell asleep to the sound of dark, harsh breathing and sharp nails scratching my walls. It wasn't unpleasant. I had gotten used to it.

I was born into a fairly non-superstitious family. My three siblings and I never learned about stuff like Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy or the Easter Rabbit. In their work as historians, my parents constantly focused on trying to teach us why those mythical figures existed and where they originated. Well, most of them. Some myths never had a true origin, just an estimated one.

On the other hand, we didn't learn about demons or ghosts or evil spirits either. My parents were raised in traditionally atheist households. They were never taught much about the paranormal world and so didn't believe in it. They thought it was all hogwash, that none of it was real and only humans' collective desire to understand death and the other many unknown aspects of our lives.

So when I was told by friends whom I confided in about this issue that there was some kind of monster-like creature in my room, I didn't believe it. I wasn't scared into denial. I just didn't think it was anything weird. I assumed the breathing was actually the wind's being louder at night because everyone is asleep and it's more audible. I assumed it was an animal living in the basement that was scratching at my floorboards or some kind of animal that got stuck in the walls and was scratching at them to get out. I didn't think for a minute it would be a demon or monster or anything like that. (I was also sixteen at the time, so obviously I wasn't as scared of the noises as my younger siblings would have been had they heard the scrape of nails and deep exhales in my room.)

It surprised me more when I learned it actually was a demon. I wasn't scared, just curious. Or confused.

I was slowly falling asleep on a Friday night when the scraping noises stopped. This caught my attention. The sounds in my room never ceased while I was trying to fall asleep. My eyes snapped open, scouring the room for anything that could have caused the change. As my eyes reached the left side of my room where my dresser stood against the wall, I spotted a humanoid figure waiting in the darkness of my ajar bathroom door.

Now, I was scared. I thought it was some kind of intruder that came into my house to steal or murder.

I lunged for the bedside lamp and hurried to turn it on. My eyes needed only minutes to adjust. The being moved forward slowly, as if it hurt them to go any faster. They stood in the light, and I felt a laugh bubble up in my throat. It looked like a person wearing a Halloween demon mask.

The person was fairly built, almost towering over me, and I'm about five-foot-six when standing. Clearly, based on the lack of discernible breasts, it was a guy. The mask wasn't horrifying. The face had a color akin to dried blood, with electric blue eyes and an illogically fanged, thin-lipped mouth full of yellowing teeth. It had a bunch of ridges and dots along the hard lines of the face. The eyebrows were only darker strokes that traced the eyes. An even forehead stretched up into a widow's peak of hair blacker than night itself. But everything felt so cartoonish, I burst out laughing and snorting at the sight of the person.

He scowled deeply and snarled at me. I ignored it at the time, too consumed by the hilarity of the situation to pay any heed to the fact that the mouth on the 'mask' actually moved with the angry snarl of the 'person'.

Eventually, the guy surged forward, grasping my neck with a clawed hand. I sneered, reaching for the taser I always kept on my bedside table in case of emergencies like this. (My family lived in a pretty rough area before moving to this community, so we were always prepared for intruders or other home threats.)

"Nice costume, jackass. Did you get it from Party City? Let me guess. You borrowed fifty dollars from your mom saying you wanted to buy a costume so you can go out to a party, but instead, you're out here robbing homes and killing people. Get off me, or I won't hesitate to tase you."

The guy just stared at me a moment, eyes narrowed, eyebrows drawn together, and lips curled into a disgusted scowl. His voice filled the room like the voice of God. He leered at me, "You think I'm human?! Tell me. Can a human do this?!" He touched my forehead with a claw, and I felt my breath leave my body as I saw my room morph into an immense space of rocky black earth, red clouds, and tortured screams. My eyes caught sight of what looked like millions of people begging at the gates of a building for mercy and repentance, all of them bleeding and clearly mutated. From the top of the building, balls of light floated up towards the sky and disappeared into the distance. Weird-looking guards in old Roman armor gathered around the begging crowd and began to tear them away, huddling them towards a large arena a little ways away.

Only after the 'person' snarled in my ear that he wasn't human did I realize the pain in my feet. I crumbled to my knees, only for the 'person' to yank me up by my shoulders and return me to my room.

I was dropped onto my bed, and immediately, I began to cry.

I like to think myself a strong person. I don't usually cry. But the trauma of seeing that place, of the smell of burnt flesh all around me, the searing pain in my feet, had me breaking down. I covered my face and shook in my bed, my fingernails digging into my flesh as I hugged myself to protect my mind from the experience.

The non-person laughed loudly, smirking darkly as he sat down on the wooden chair at my desk. The last straw had just been dealt. I already felt horribly scared and uncomfortable because of this bastard's gall to dare show me all that he did. I needed no further proof to know he wasn't human. But he could still feel pain.

So, because I am so mentally stable and smart, I jumped off the bed before picking up the heavy lamp on the bedside table to my left. I hefted it over my head and lobbed it at the creature, and I quickly relished the sounds of his screaming when it made contact with his head, neck, and chest.

I laughed uncontrollably when the lamp shattered against his body and smirked with great pride.

He sneered once more, tossing me into the wall with a simple wave of his hand. I felt some ribs and joints shatter because of the hit. My screams drowned out his obnoxious laughter. Tears started flooding down my cheeks like rivers. I don't know why, but instantaneously, the non-human walked over, helping me onto the bed again.

I struggled against his hands, only calming myself when he threatened to stab me in the throat.

He had me lie down, and I felt panic set in within seconds. He scowled, but his voice made it sound like he was trying to soothe me for some reason. I still cried. Once I started, I couldn't stop. The non-human knelt down at my bedside and began patting my stomach and chest. The pain alleviated with each gentle press.

I watched his face the entire time he did his work. I couldn't understand any aspect of this creature's mentality or thought-process. A complete anomaly. One minute, he's giving me nightmares and breaking my ribs, but the next minute, he's trying to comfort me and heal me.

His face softened into a more human appearance as he healed my ribs. It made things a little better. Humans are that crazy. We can hurt each other violently with no precedent, and then help a hundred people in the same breath. We're insane.

When he finished doing whatever it was that he was doing, he stood up, observing me over the tip of his nose. "My actions baffle you." Unable to think of a proper response, I simply nodded.

He sighed. I sat up cautiously, only to find I felt no pain at all in my abdomen. I thought I would feel some kind of lingering muscular ache from hitting the wall, but there was nothing. I felt normal. I scooted over and waited for him to sit. Maybe I was just as messed up as he was, considering I just offered a seat to a demon who showed me Hell and cracked my ribs.

A confused smile grew on his face. He sat beside me, crossing his legs after turning to face me completely. "I came to seek a soul. Human souls act as fuel for demonic entities like me. Yours was particularly easy to find. Weak. Not much motivation to live. Unbelievably lacking in self-esteem. You are the perfect candidate for a meal."

"That's literally the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me in four years."

He snickered to himself, scraping a clawed hand through raven hair. "And friendless. See? Great candidate. But you are stupidly kind. There are rules demons have to abide by based on our rank. I'm an Avenger."

I glowered at him, growling protectively in an attempt to secure the honor of my favorite superheroes. "No the fuck you're not. When you can compare equally with Iron Man or Thor, then you can call yourself an Avenger. But you're just a creepy undead asshole with a pretty face."

The demon guy balked at me, unable to comprehend my actions. "You think I'm pretty?"

My face flushed red. I did not mean to say that aloud. "Focus on what's more important in my statement, asshole. Don't hyper-analyze the miniscule details that are not relevance."

A shit-eating grin slithered onto his face, and I felt my blush intensify. "We'll come back to that later. First off, I am not undead. I am technically a fallen angel. Second off, I did not state Avenger with the pop culture definition in mind. An Avenger is a demon that is meant to punish the living humans that the angels cannot. I did not come to kill you on behalf of the angels. I only came to take your soul as food."

"Just shut up. I'm not talking about what I said. Anyways, get to the point."

He chuckled, leaning back against my headboard. "I do have to adhere to the rules of my rank. I cannot, under any circumstance, take the soul of a human of good heart. I can only consume those souls that court bitterness and rage and revenge. You do none of those things. I cannot take your soul."

I scowled. "So why are you still here?"

"You called me pretty. I'm not about to let go of that."

In comparison to the previous moments, I felt my face pale harshly out of fear that this demon intended to keep me as his slave or something. "Wait what-"

His eyes widened almost frantically, and he pressed a hand over my shoulder. "Relax. I will not harm you. I don't mean to. I promise. You can trust that. Despite our unbecoming reputation, demons do not break promises. We understand the value of a deal of good will."

That didn't help much.

"Then why are you staying?"

His eyes darkened marginally, and he set his hands in his lap. "Truly? I do not know. Perhaps the loneliness wears away at my essence. Perhaps my heart aches for some form of reassurance that my existence serves a purpose. Perhaps the cold embrace of an empty room makes me yearn for the presence of a warm body beside mine. I have known no camaraderie in Hell. Humans are such communal creatures. Would you think it inappropriate if I ask you for those things? Companionship, reassurance, bodily comfort?"

I shivered at his words. They sounded so pretty, almost Shakespearean or Victorian in style. But the connotation seemed quite malevolent. I tried my hardest to not show my fear. "What would that entail?"

He shrugged his massive shoulders, muscles rippling fluidly under textured, harsh skin. "Whatever is normal in most human friendships. Just because we hurt some of you does not mean we know nothing of human interaction or common behavior."

My teeth worried at my lower lip while my fingernails dug bleeding moons into my palms. "So it'll be just that? A friendship? You won't take my soul?"

The demon rolled his shoulders back and sat up straight, facing me more properly to burn holes through my eyes with his own. "Most demons would jump at the chance to take a soul to feed upon. If I were one of them, and you proved to me that there exists some form of unrepentant rage in your soul, I would take it from you instantly. But I do not believe in such immature practices. I am above taking a soul of a human that provides me with goodwill just because of a momentary show of spite in their soul."

I contemplated his words for some time. He didn't disturb me or distract me while I deliberated my decision. "If I were to die while we're friends. Would you take my soul then?"

"No. But unless we form a true friendship of good, I would not fight to prevent another demon from taking your soul. I only dictate my own decisions, no one else's. In other cases, let's say that you are accepted into Heaven. I would not fight the angels to keep you with me. That is not within my power. If you wish to do so, I believe you are allowed to let me visit you. But you would not be allowed to come to me. Either of those situations depends on whether we are still friends at the time of your death."

This all sounded good to me. A friend for now until I die. I mean, the going to Hell and having my soul eaten sounded bad, but I liked the idea of being able to visit a friend even after death. "Um. Quick question. What if we do end up being great friends, but I go to Hell? You'd protect me, but to what end? Would I be able to stay with you?"

That pulled a laugh out of my unexpected roommate. He snorted through his snickers, only stopping for air and an answer to my question. "Yes. I do not know how that works, but if I claim you as an eternal companion, then His Demonic Highness would allow me to keep you."

I had planned on thinking about it some more, but I got bored, and I was tired. "Sure. We can be friends. But just don't scratch up my floors, okay? Hardwood is expensive up here."

He stared at me in disbelief for a moment before nodding. "Understood. Am I to return to the space under your bed?"

My teeth bit down on my lip again, and my new friend scowled harshly, moving closer to pull my jaw down and free my teeth. "Stop that. I don't need more of your injuries on my conscience."

"You have a conscience?" I asked with a sarcastic smirk. "I couldn't tell from how hard you smashed me into my wall."

He rolled his eyes and rubbed my lip with a fond snort. "The least you can do is be kind to the demon who just tore open his heart and laid it out before you. But I suppose I've earned it. Now. Answer my question. Where am I to sleep? Unless you want me to return to hell."

I sighed and averted my eyes, glaring at my pillow. "You can sleep up here in my bed if you want to. I mean, it's a pretty big space, and you said you need a cuddle-buddy. Just don't stab me with your nails or whatever."

His eyes widened again, but this time, a pleased smile made its way onto his face. Despite the gross texture of his skin and the weirdness of his incisor-filled mouth, it made him look a million times more attractive. "If that would please you, then of course I will sleep here." At hearing my concern about his form, he nodded and changed his body a bit more, reducing his size and altering his skin and morphology to match the human form as closely as possible. Of course, the hues in his skin couldn't change, but he made himself as soft as possible.

I stepped off the bed before he did and pulled back the comforter. I climbed in, trying to get warm again when I realized how cold my bed had gotten without me in it. "I never got your name, dude."

His voice still vibrated in my bones even though he spoke softly. "Drakonsilus."

"That's fancy as hell."

His laugh purred in my sternum. "Thank you. And your name?"

"Victoria Rao. My mom is English, and my dad is Indian. They were the outcasts of their families and came together in a beautiful romance to create more outcast children." And there I went again, oversharing about my life like usual.

Drakonsilus smiled at me in the wan light of my lamp. "A beautiful name. Do not despair your existence. It's a good one. You offer kindness to a being who came to consume your soul. You may be an outcast, but at least you're a kind one."

I held up my covers and dropped my chin, motioning for my new buddy to join me under the comforter. He fidgeted at my offer.

"I thought you meant I would sleep at your feet."

"Bro, I don't know shit about demonic society, but that's bullshit. You cuddle with me in my sheets, not cower at my feet like a dog. Get in here."

He nervously stepped closer and climbed under the heavy woolen blanket. He stayed near the edge of the bed, but eventually moved closer after he realized I wasn't about to rescind my offer of cuddles. He scooted closer as I did, and we met in the middle of the bed, both of our heads pressed against the single pillow on the mattress.

"Can I call you Silus for short? Your name is pretty and all, but it's super long and I don't want to think that it sounds dumb or ugly or stupid coming out of my mouth."

The demon laughed like it was the dumbest thing he'd ever heard. I felt a smile encroaching on my lips at the beautiful sound. "Was there any doubt that you couldn't? I am in need of _your _affection. I have nothing to offer you. Kind one, I am at your mercy. You may do as you please."

"Stop stop stop stop stop. Please stop. Don't make it sound like you're my slave or servant or whatever. Humans outlawed slavery centuries ago. Not cool. I won't do that to you."

"Yes, yes. I know. Hell knows quite a lot about human pop culture. Heaven is too busy pampering God and his angels to care about human activities. That's why many of the people that would be considered good by modern standards are sent to Hell. They do not fit the parameters of good people that the world's Holy Books define. Each individual's soul is measured by the holy book of their respective religion. Atheists like you are measured by the holy book of your family ancestors. Heaven is outdated in its treatment of humans and its ideas of morality. Hell likes to 'keep up with the times', as you humans call it. So yes. I do know that slavery is outlawed on Earth. But demons do not despise slavery. Servitude in a deal is a common fact of life for us. Many people ask us for favors or something like that, so we must heed their every word until the contract is complete. I am used to this way of life."

I harshly inhaled, burning my lungs with the cold air of my room. "Well I don't believe in that stuff. You're not my servant now. You're my friend. And I'm going to treat you that way. I'll teach you how to accept friendship, since clearly you were trained to think that goodwill only exists in service contracts."

My words produced a smile from him that lit up the entire room. I smiled back weakly and attempted to not melt into my sheets.

"Thank you, Victoria."

"Don't mention it, pretty boy. Now go to sleep." I only realized my mistake after his pure grin turned into something more mischievous (and hot). "No, wait-"

He smirked and propped his head up on his palm. "This is the second time you have referred to me as pretty in the past twenty minutes of our conversation. Are you usually attracted to devilishly handsome beings like me or am I a special case?"

My glare didn't affect him at all. Actually, it did. It made him smirk wider, which ended up making me more nervous. Of course I was dumb enough to start being attracted to a demon who hurt me mentally and physically since the first moment he made himself aware to me. Not just that, but his smugness was so attractive, I felt my skin burning up in the chill of my room.

"Are you going to tell me your answer, Victoria? I'm waiting~!"

I huffed and shook my head with a petulant pout on my lips. "No."

"Fine. I will make you tell me sooner or later."

"How? You're my friend, not my boss."

He hummed, lying back down again. "That is for me to know and for you to find out. Perhaps a hint will suffice. I will make you desperate to tell me how you feel. I can promise that."

That promise had me burning just like before. If this friendship didn't end up in me getting fucked by this guy, I was going to ditch him and summon Satan myself and ask for some fun. I mean, if Silus' words and smiles had me all bothered and horny (pun unintended), then his actual sexual actions probably would feel heavenly (pun intended). But for now, all I needed was a friend and some cuddles. It had been so long since I got a proper hug from anyone, and I didn't retain any friends for longer than a few months, at best. Whether that was because of my unnecessary need to tell every waking thought to my friends or my unknowing ability to push away people that are kind to me, I don't know. I may never know. But this was enough. This nice demon was enough.

"You're such a weirdo. And that pun was dumb."

He clutched at his chest with a fake wail of despair. "You claim me as your friend, and yet you are so cruel to me!"

"You're so melodramatic."

He winked at me with a grin. "I try."

I yawned and pulled the comforter up to cover our bodies. Silus watched me again, this time a bit uncomfortably. "Am I allowed to hold you?"

His nervous look had my heart aching. I moved close enough that our legs barely made contact, and I reached an arm over his shoulder to press his body against mine. My bicep rested on top of the outside of his upper arm. After a beat, he stretched a muscled forearm over my waist and pressed me to himself as well, the small of my back flush with his warm hand.

He shook in my arms, and I felt his breath quiver against my ear. I pressed us closer together, almost flush against one another. My nose pressed into the soft skin under his ear while his lips filled the curve of my neck and collarbone with wet warmth.

Yeah, this position was bit intimate for new friends to experience. But I knew that both of us were starved of physical affection. If we started out like this, then it was likely we had needed this kind of bodily comfort for a long time.

I only heard Silus speak after his breathing had equalized. "You know, you are the only being in millennia to hold me as you do. I was created in Heaven a few centuries after humans' civilizations had become slightly advanced. The Bronze Age, I believe. I had only ever experienced this kind of affection from my male lover in Heaven. God found our actions to be punishable. I was sent to Hell. My lover was sent to receive training and do penance for his actions. As the receiver of our carnal pleasures, I was banished from the Lord's Kingdom."

I only rubbed his back in response, not knowing what to say or how to say it. He continued his story.

"Never once in my time in Hell has anyone offered me a physical form of affection like this. My friends give me occasional embraces. My employer rewards me with praise and goodwill. But you, you embrace me. You let me touch you even after I break your bones and cause you pain. I am so grateful. I cannot tell you enough thanks for your mercy and grace. I can never repay my debts to you."

He pulled his head back to look me in the eyes. The sharp sapphires of his eyes grazed over my face lovingly, as if I had just given him the Sun. He used his other hand to gently cup my jaw and rub at my cheek. I leaned into the warmth, almost basked in it.

"You don't need to thank me for doing what I've wanted to do for so long. This is enough. This hug? This affection? This is enough thanks for me."

A chuckle from him brushed along my nerves like a beautiful internal massage. He leaned forward again and pressed his lips into the space under my ear like I did earlier. "Thank you, beautiful creature. Thank you. Now sleep. I will fix everything in the morning."

I didn't fall asleep to silence. Again, I fell asleep to the sound of breathing. But it was softer now, and the sound of nail scratches on wood didn't accompany it.

As my thoughts drifted off into dreams, I wished that, every night, I could sleep like this, in the arms of this man that I could never have, but could always keep.


	2. Two (Valentine's Day Special - Kinda)

Every Night

Another day with my demonic BFF. He had spent the entire day pestering me about going out and doing something recklessly fun or cloyingly cute. I couldn't understand why he was acting like that, until I finally realized the date.

"It's Valentine's Day already?! Dude, it was still January third last week!"

Silus snorted, rolling his eyes at me like the asshole teenager I always aim to be. He'd become more sarcastic and childish since becoming my friend, which is odd to me because he always turns into a sweet gentleman again when we go to bed. "Well, it's your fault for not paying attention to the calendar all day. How are you this out of touch with time and space?"

I shot him a deadpan look and punched his arm when he tried to reach out and braid my hair like usual. "No touching. Dude, I still have shit to do. I'm not a freeloader like you."

"I only freeload your affection, stupid."

"Yeah. That's fucking difficult for me. I have only so much affection to give, and I spend it all on you. You should be grateful."

He rolled his eyes again, smiling widely and sweetly this time. "Okay, okay, forget all of that. We need to go do something fun. I refuse to spend such a nice holiday at your dreary dorm when we can be hoarding flowers from Ms. Smirnoff's shop or drowning ourselves in chocolate at that buffet we visited last month. I'll pay!"

I sighed and shook my head, leaning back in my seat as my eyes watched his form slouch in disappointment on my bed. "Honey, you know why we can't do that. Your shape-shifting has been off all month. I can't risk you getting in trouble or anything like that. Besides, I'm single and happy and have no intentions on changing that." His posture changed again, straightening and stiffening dramatically, while his eyes glowed bright with some kind of inspired glint. He huffed and hopped off the blue comforter onto the ground near my desk. Silus knelt down beside me and grabbed my hands into his.

Despite our friendship of almost two years, I still felt frightened when he grew intense and harsh like this. He had never once hurt me in these two years except for our first encounter, and yet I sat in my chair, shaking like a leaf in blustering winds.

He pressed my hands to his face and spoke seriously, almost sternly. "I know you hate the 'I'm older than you, so I know better' speeches you get from your parents, but this isn't that. Definitely not. I'm trying to let you live a little. You need to get out of this room sometimes. You can't waste your life studying away. You did that all throughout high school. You can't do that to yourself. You need to spend time outside, get away from this place. You need some relaxation. You most likely didn't even register that Valentine's Day had arrived because your stress drains your awareness. Please?"

And after my fear, he still soothed me. His words rang completely true. I had drowned myself in work, trying to avoid the anxiety of failure, but as a result, I had stopped living my life and left my mind to die of stress.

Silus pressed the palm of one of my hands to his lips, letting it go a moment later with a slow exhale. He watched me again. "You know I'm right. Do you know what it's like to see your favorite person force themselves into a destructive cycle of all work and no rest? It feels evil. I feel crueler for not stopping you from working to death. Believe me, I've done some terrible things in my long life. My non-interference is easily the worst. I can't sit here and accept your self-inflicted torture. Come with me. Come outside. If you want, we can return to Hell, spend time there so you don't freak out about any failed transformations."

I felt just as bad about his worry for me as he felt about not stopping my work cycle. I moved my hands to the back of his head and pulled him in for a hug. "Okay, fine. We'll go. All day. This work isn't due until next week, anyways." I felt him smile against my neck as we clung to each other like last night.

* * *

Going out that day was the best decision I'd made in a long time. This demonic fool took me to three different places around the city.

First stop? The pretty Jackson Gardens at the outside of the city, where we stole a bunch of flowers. That was probably a bad idea, but at least it felt great when we received a bunch of smiles from the people to whom we gave the flowers at our next stop. We plucked a fair number of flowers of different types. We mostly took roses, but we grabbed the occasional lily or daisy or tulip to add some variety to our collection.

Second stop! We next visited the hospital where I volunteered on weekends and Wednesdays as an English-Spanish interpreter in the General Practice wing. My expertise doesn't include technical language in other fields like cardiology or obstetrics, so I only ever worked in the general practice area. I spent a lot of late nights and early days working at the hospital (paid only sometimes), so I knew all of the staff well. This meant that I walked into the GP wing without any questioning or warnings except for suggestions to avoid the allergy section so the flowers wouldn't get anyone sick. Silus' glamour worked like a charm, thankfully, so we didn't get any weird looks from passersby, professionals, or patients. Everyone we gave a flower to gave us huge smiles and hugs in return. A few elderly and several of the pediatric patients told us we looked cute together, and it took all of my patience to let them say that and not explain that Silus and I are friends.

(Of course, that fucking troll Silus didn't mind those statements, only winking at the patients who said that stuff and wrapping an arm around my shoulders. This only worked to further their commentary and turn me into a lobster because of all of the embarrassing suggestions.)

I promised the staff and my supervisor, a nice old man named Dr. Portillo, that I would return to translate on Saturday because I needed today off. Everyone completely agreed, telling me to leave so I can rest. When Dr. Portillo asked who made me take the day off (because he knew I wouldn't do it myself), Silus piped up and replied that it was his idea. The kind doctor grinned and shook my demon buddy's hand vigorously, thanking him for making me chill at last. I stood there awkwardly, trying to not make eye contact with either of them. Dr. Portillo laughed, patting my shoulder gently. "He's good for you, kid. Listen to the guy. He'll make your life better than it is now." Silus silently and somewhat innocently smiled at the praise.

As he and I walked away from the hospital, his arm went around me again, and my eyes shot up to glare holes into his head. Obviously, it didn't affect him. He smiled down at me in that sweet, charming way he does to get out of trouble with people.

I scowled. "You enjoyed that, didn't you?"

He seemed to vibrate and shake with glee. "Absolutely. I like that idea. Actually, let's make this a date."

"Let's not."

He pouted. "That was great! What's so bad about such an idea?"

"One, you're a faker. Two, this friendship only lasts until I die. Three, I don't like relationships."

He rolled his eyes and pulled me in closer, pressing me to his side as his fingers began yanking at the ends of my curls. "How am I a faker?"

"I know you only spoke fancy with me when we met so I'd like you. Your boss told me that when I asked him about your speech patterns after I heard you talk non-fancy with your colleagues."

Silus' eyes narrowed, his eyes becoming distant as he glared at nothing in particular. "Stan…" He relaxed again. "Okay, fine. That was on purpose."

"AHA! I knew it!"

He sputtered and stared at me. "I was lying to see if that was true! It was all a bluff! And so is your fanciness, you liar!"

Silus whined, covering his face in shame. "You're so terrible to me. Look how soft I've gotten! I didn't even see that trap!"

I smirked victoriously. At least in words, I could beat this guy.

"Loser."

"Says the girl who has to trick a demon with words to win at life. Anyways, second point. I don't care what happens, we will always be friends. You said you'd be here for me, and I said I'd always be here for you. Don't tell me you're giving up on that when you die…" Though his voice originally held its usual cocky tone, by the end of his claim, he sounded desperate, hurt. I couldn't bear to hear him like that.

"No, honey. I'm not going back on that. But distance weakens friendships. I can't expect us to last forever if we're kept apart, ya know? I don't want to give you false hopes either."

Silus' voice became soft. "Then why can't we make this an actual relationship? Doesn't distance make the heart fonder?"

I kept silent. I kept my head down. I kept my eyes on the ground. When I spoke, I kept my voice quiet. "Yes. But onto point three. I'm scared of relationships. I'm scared to get heartbroken again. I'm scared to be told I don't deserve you, even though I know that's already true. I'm scared to hear that you've stopped loving me. I'm scared to know that we won't be physically together when I die. We've spent the past two years in the same bed. I'm scared of that ending. You know I crave physical affection. I can't see us break apart. I can't see myself live out eternity in despair because we failed."

A beat of silence.

"And you call me dramatic."

I whipped around and socked him in the shoulder as hard as I could. "I just bore my heart out to you, asshole!"

He laughed. "Now you know how I felt that first night!"

I squinted at him before walking off faster. "Get out."

Silus ran after me, laughing. "We're already outside! Hey, hey, hey! Wait!"

Because I am a merciful soul, I decided to wait for him to catch up. It didn't take long. The man is a damned physical miracle. He smiled widely and wrapped an arm around me again. "Fear shouldn't be a reason for us to not try. Just give me a chance. That's all I ask. A chance. I won't let us fall apart. To Hell with the rules. I'll make it work."

"We have to make it work. Not just you," I retorted. Any reason I could use to get out of this, I would give.

"You know what I mean, Victoria. Tell me you don't want this. Be honest."

I couldn't look him in the face. He sighed, and we walked on without any other words. Silus rubbed my shoulder when night began to fall, and when the air began to chill. He pressed me closer to him, and in a reflexive motion, I moved into the pressure of his body. "Last stop, Your Highness," he murmured softly.

That pulled a smile out of me. We'd always spent time talking about history since it was one of the few things we both truly enjoyed, so when we shared an entire day of conversation dedicated to Queen Victoria of England, he began calling me 'Your Highness' as a poke at my name.

We kept walking forward, on and on and on, until we reached the edge of the city. We packed into a taxi and headed out for the edge of the beautiful national park in my college town.

We stepped out of the car at the same time, and he led me out to the cliff's ledge at the end of the only nature trail in the park.

We didn't speak any words about the place we were going.

We continued forward, sitting upon the ledge carefully. I leaned in towards him so I could feel less on edge about sitting on a cliff. He coiled an arm around my waist, pushing me close to him. I ended up moving even closer, practically squished against his side, as he mumbled his first words after almost thirty minutes of silence.

"This is my gift to you. I can't give you anything physical that would suffice, and I'm not talented enough to make you some kind of poem or song that would properly enunciate my feelings. Instead, I'll give you this phenomenon. This beautiful natural scene. In three… two… one…"

I let my eyes wander along the beautiful slopes of the hills and valleys below us. The ocean's edge to the left of the scape, and the lush forest to the right. The center of the space blushed red, pink, and gold with the sunset that slowly fell upon the land. And like clockwork, the moment Silus breathed out the word 'now', the entire space lit up like the decorations on a Christmas tree. Hundreds of thousands of fireflies brightened the flowering area like little fairy lights.

My eyes burned from all the light and beauty of the spectacle. They watered when the sunset died away and gave rise to nighttime, and the fireflies continued to brighten the land under the darkness of the night sky.

I turned to look at Silus quietly. He threw me a watery smile, eyes a little more dark and broken than I had seen in a while. "When I spent the day with you, this is what I felt. Just as entranced as you were by the sunset and fireflies, I was that entranced watching you actually smile and be happy and enjoy your life. Is it so evil of me that I want to do this all the time? That I want to see you this happy all the time?"

My heart ached for his plight. I shook my head, unable to respond verbally.

He murmured hopefully, eyes soft and silvery blue in the golden light of the millions of fireflies below us. "Then let me in. Please, let me in."

My eyes burned with tears again. I only nodded. He smiled at me, reaching his other arm around to hug me tightly. I let out a choked sob, and hugged his neck, clinging onto him with all my might. I pressed my face into his shoulder, but he didn't do the same to me. Maybe he didn't need comfort right now. Maybe he didn't need my reassurance.

He spoke normally now, not as high-strung or low-down. "You're such an emotional person. Crying in joy, crying in sadness, crying in fear, crying in courage. But that's okay. It's okay. You do need to relax, though. Just calm down. We'll stay here as long as you want, o-"

"Just shut up. You talk so much. Like a toddler with boring family members."

He laughed hard, almost dropping me over the ledge. I screamed, terrified of the fall, and wrapped myself around him completely. My legs shot around his waist, and I dug my hands into his back. "Be careful! You fucking asshole!"

"Relax! I won't drop you!" Silus continued to laugh like a troll. He smirked, a weird glint igniting in his eyes. "Or maybe, do you want to fly~?"

I whined, begging and pleading with him to not fly. "Come on, man! I just agreed to date you and shit! Do you have to do this to me?"

He chuckled darkly and stood up, both arms still curled around me so I wouldn't fall off. His body changed again, his skin roughening and eyes brightening. His hair darkened, and his teeth marginally sharpened. Below my hands, his wings stretched out from his skin and into the air. I whined louder, digging my nails into his tough flesh. "SILUS, NO!"

"Come on, it'll be better than last time!"

"I BROKE FIVE BONES LAST TIME, YOU WHORE!"

He snickered at my word choice, rubbing my back comfortingly. "Calm down. I know you better now, and I know how to fly with your added weight. And I learned how you move when terrified of something. Besides, I healed you back then, didn't I?"

"Fuck you! Set me down!"

Silus smirked, affectionately kissing my temple. "Later, Victoria. I thought you would want to take it slow~!"

"Silus, I swear to God, set me down, or I'll tell on you to your boss."

"My boss was the one who told me to go for it."

"All of you have plotted against me."

"That's kind of the point. We hate you."

I scowled and pushed at his face, only to scramble to grab onto him again so I wouldn't fall off the edge. Silus rolled his eyes, patting my head as if I were an unbelievably stupid child or something like that. He smiled and moved back from the ledge, walking away for a few steps. This calmed me down a little, making me less anxious about the high cliffside. But, because he's the world's evilest troll, Silus turned around and sprinted at the edge, jumping off the cliff.

My heart stopped and my eyes shut tightly to block out the sight of me falling to my death. It didn't help. The motion sickness hit me like a tank, and I would have actually had a heart attack were it not for Silus' sudden opening of his wings, which caught us midair.

The upward airflow kept us from falling, and he kicked off of the cliffside, shooting us forward over the meadows.

"I hope you have a heart attack," I grumbled.

He snorted. "I'm always having a heart attack when you're involved."

"Thanks, asshole."

"You are quite welcome. Now calm down."

"No."

Silus chuckled lowly once again, bass voice rumbling through my body like a deafening symphony. He pressed me closer, one hand pushing against my lower back as the other pushed me up into him from under my ass. But it didn't feel sexual or weird. The experience felt more innocent than that.

"Just don't think about the height. Focus on what's around us. If you want, we can drop down into the forest, and I can try to call some animals to me."

I rolled my eyes, despite the sheer terror slowly enveloping my heart and soul. "You doing a fancy little trick by bringing me here at the perfect time to see the fireflies does not mean you're suddenly Snow White."

He snorted at my reply. "I meant with food. I never implied I know animal magic, you weirdo."

"Says the revenge demon who broke up some guy's relationship because the angels didn't wanna do that."

"I HAD NO CHOICE."

I began laughing loudly at his offended, disgruntled tone. This truly was the highlight of the night: making Silus mad about his job, which almost never happens.

"You're worse than me, and I'm a demon."

I winked playfully, smirking at him like he did to me the first time we met. "You love me for it~!"

His softened, sweetened, adorable expression implied that he agreed with what I said. "Isn't that the truth?"

I felt my confident face waver at his sweet words and looks. I averted my eyes, choosing to instead face my impending doom, only to discover that I actually loved the sight. The trees and meadows and flower-filled valleys rushed under us as the tips of the tallest redwoods and oaks brushed against Silus' wings. The air around us continued on its journey past us with its usual wintry chill, but the heat of the earth beneath us offset the cold winds. Of course, we did almost hit the occasional mountain or tree, but Silus caught us quickly enough that I didn't have to worry about death. Even the fireflies hovering in the flowers and grasses of the valley seemed to glow with a softer, more homely tint, as if trying to complement the dark, coldness of the vast eternity above us.

Never once did Silus speak up or tell me anything while I reveled in the experience. He kept his thoughts to himself, only piping up to suggest that we head back home. I bit my lower lip, chewing at it hesitantly.

"A-Are you sure we can't spend the night here?" I knew this might be a bad idea, but I really didn't want the night to end. I wanted to waste away the rest of that day with my new boyfriend of sorts.

Silus shrugged, an eyebrow raised in concern and confusion at my decision. "You don't usually ask to stay out. You always try to get back to your dorm as soon as you can. What's wrong?"

I crossed my arms, my body subconsciously curling up into a defensive position. "Nothing! I just don't wanna go back right now. Is that such a big deal? I want to spend some more time out here. I've rarely been to a place that makes me feel this calm. I wanna stay this calm." My demon partner said nothing, only nodding with that annoyingly knowing smile on his face.

"Where do you want to go here?"

"Umm. Maybe at the edge between the beach and grass?"

He nodded again, changing the position of his wings to land slowly on the sand. He set me down on the ground after a moment. He changed my body position at the start of the flight, holding me from behind so I could actually see the space around me. It ended up being a great idea. I pulled off my shoes and set them on the grass before walking back to the sand to bury my feet in it. Best feeling in the world.

Silus silently kept an eye on me as I played around in the sand like it was snow. Of course, no sand-angels for me (I didn't want to get sand in my hair), but I did bury my hands and feet in it so my extremities would be surrounded by the cool, all-encompassing nature of the tiny granules.

After a few more hours of relaxation and weird behavior on my part, Silus and I came together for bedtime. Though it had been a great day, I needed rest. Actual rest.

While we may not have had a bed to sleep on in that huge area, we did have trees and creativity. We worked together to form a kind of hammock that we hung from two large, solitary oaks in the meadow. I was more help in the fine details, tying stuff together and fastening things. Silus handled the actual difficulties, like tying the hammock onto the trees and finding the materials. It was a nice creation, though odd.

We used the dry tall grasses from next to the beach as rope/twine to bind together a bunch of long and flexible branches, a random safety blanket we found near what appeared to be an abandoned vagrant campsite a few miles west from the meadows, and a large amount of oak leaves and flowers from the foliage in the area. The branches did require some smoothening to remove the smaller twigs still remaining on them, but the other items needed no alteration or processing. The hammock held together like a charm, surprisingly. As soon as Silus tied the last of the hammock's 'ropes' to the trees, he grabbed me up from the roots of those behemoths.

He lied down first, spreading his wings out far enough to ensure they wouldn't get caught on the branches or grasses. As soon as he was settled, he let me lie down on top of him, pressing my head to his shoulder while my arms fluttered down to rest on his chest. All in all, not an unfamiliar position. Both of his arms coiled around me while his wings wrapped us up in an extra blanket of sorts since we'd used the safety blanket as the base of our hammock. The feathers of his wings (fallen angel, remember?) insulated us all night, no matter how cold it got out in that open space.

I can't lie. That was the best sleep I had gotten in months. College stressed me out constantly. Maybe that's why I had started developing skin, immune, and weight issues. At one point, I had stopped having my monthlies because I was so concerned about my classes.

But this day was a complete reset for my life. My daily patterns had changed irreversibly. All thanks to my demonic buddy's incorrigible and perfect concern for my health. I could never go back to how I used to live before. Not after that day. Silus truly did make my life a million times better because he forced me to take that day off. I can say with confidence, he still does make my life a million times better, but not always in the ways you would expect.


	3. Three

Every Night

"So do I get a kiss any time soon, or are we going to be one of those boring (and dishonest) couples that say we had our first kiss at the altar? Because last I checked, demons don't get married."

That question snapped me out of my momentary reverie during my relaxation time.

Since she had been so eager to return, Victoria completed her work as quickly as possible, pushing through her five assignments for the day like they were nothing. The moment she finished, her eyes glared up at me, a challenge glowing in those hazel orbs. Of course, I would never deny her what she wants. Taking care of her is one of the few pleasures in my life.

So when I heard these words coming from her mouth, I nearly choked to death. I hadn't expected her to think about physical affection in that aspect so soon. We'd spent nearly two years in the same bed, but hearing her ask me when I'll kiss her actually threw me off.

(Not all demons can be as smooth and charming as the incubi/succubi/concubi. They're masters of their craft.)

Which is why her question startled me so greatly. I almost fell over into the sand. I whipped my head around to look at Victoria closely, attempting to determine whether or not she meant what she said. Her face reddened at my shock. Guilt bubbled up within me, and I quickly sat up once more to pull her into my arms. Any sign of distress from her always had me worried.

"Hey, hey, it's alright. I'm not angry, just startled."

My heart broke when she pulled away from me, holding me away by my shoulders. Her eyes didn't meet mine. Her lips quivered when she decided to finally speak. "I get it. You don't have to explain yourself. If what I said surprised you that much, it means you don't want to. I understand. Sorry for asking. I won't force you into anything, I promise."

Her voice didn't inform me that she was going to cry. I figured she wouldn't be upset enough to cry about this. But I did know she still felt hurt about my implied rejection. The way she hid her face from me showed everything.

I reached forward, pulling her back again, but she didn't resist. Instead, she moved closer to me, forcing her face into my neck. I felt like a bastard. I thought I broke her heart.

"What you said surprised me because I didn't think you wanted that from me. I know you feel uncomfortable with physical affection. I know you don't like when people touch you for longer than a minute at a time. I know you're scared when I come close to you with any semblance of a negative expression on my face. I know you don't like being coddled unless you ask for it. That's why I haven't kissed you yet. I want to know that you trust and love me enough to know that I would never hurt you. I want to know that you trust and love me enough to initiate the physical affection so you won't feel like I'm forcing you into anything."

Sure. Perhaps I sounded extremely stupid. Perhaps I should have worded that better. But the sweet, surprised smile she gave me made me feel better about what I said. But I felt more upset that she was surprised. She had never expected me to understand her. She had never expected me to hold off.

I couldn't discern whether that mentality came from past relationships or her family, but I didn't need a psychology degree to see people had made her dangerously uncomfortable with affection before.

"So don't ever think I don't give you affection because I don't like it or because I don't like you. I will hold back if I can see it makes you upset. Okay?"

She didn't say anything, just nodded and wrapped her arms around my shoulders as she pressed herself closer. I let one of my hands rub up and down the length of her spine while the other held her waist to keep her from falling over. My skin muffled her words.

"You're the best boyfriend I've had, but you also tried to kill me. Does that make me weird?"

I laughed.

"Yes. But I'm also weird, so you're fine."

Her haughty scoff and consequent sneer of arrogance had me cackling. "I'm not just fine, you peasant. I'm a goddess."

"What does that make me? Hozier?"

I sensed her smile against the skin of my shoulder. "Yes. Be mine. Though, not in servitude, but in love."

I tried to hide away the cheesiness, but it spilled out from my lips anyways. "I was yours the day you let me into your bed." My grin contorted into a grimace. "That came out wrong."

Her dramatic sigh got lost in the flesh of my neck. "Of course it did. Spending more time with me kills brain cells. I knew it."

"No, it's talking to you that kills brain cells. I spent a whole three years with you."

She yanked herself back, sitting up in my lap properly. Her eyes narrowed coldly, digging daggers into my head. "Three years? I've only been your friend for two! Unless…you were in my room for a whole year before making yourself known to me?!"

I smiled sheepishly, my hands rising up in the air to surrender. "Whoops?"

Her exasperated groan of disdain had me laughing again, more so when she draped herself over me and complained that I was a creepy stalker that she had to date for eternity.

"Come on, I'm not that bad. Besides, I stayed in your room. I never followed you anywhere."

"Wait, then who the hell was saying my name all those times in that creepy voice whenever I passed the guys' bathroom near the courtyard back in high school?! Because no one ever used that bathroom since the school was too cheap to fix the plumbing in there. So, it wasn't a kid from school." She clearly wasn't scared, just confused. Had she really assumed I followed her around for a whole year?

"Probably Stan. I told him about my interest in knowing you from the day I found your soul. He likes to keep track of the souls my department consumes so we don't take too much and leave none for the other departments."

She raised an eyebrow at me, pretty lips curved into a disgusted sneer. "Your boss stalked me? For a year? Gross."

I snorted, pulling her closer once again. "I thought you liked Stan?"

"In doses. He's cool and all, but too weird. Also, I don't trust how he stares at you. Like, I know he's just a nice guy with a hard job, but he creeps me out. Especially with how he looks at you if you ever walk around unclothed near him. I don't know if he wants to fuck you over his desk or something, but he gives off a really weird vibe."

My body shivered in disgust. Despite her usually sweet demeanor, my Victoria had quite the imaginative mind. "That was way too specific."

She puckered her lips into a pout, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm just saying! He's weird and makes me uncomfortable." She wrapped her hands around the back of my neck again and leaned in to lay her head upon my shoulder. "Is that weird? That I don't like him?"

"He's a demon. And my boss. Last I checked, few people like their bosses. I don't blame you for not liking him. He's gotten on my case about being too clean with certain situations, but I don't like to leave any traces of my presence if I can avoid it."

She laughed at me like I was some sort of amusing pet. She placed a hard, wet kiss to my cheek, continuing her giggling fit.

I sighed, reaching up to pull her hair free of its braid. "Why are you laughing at me now?"

"You're so dumb. You think people can't sense your presence."

My hands went straight up to rub my temples. Though I loved this woman, she was easily one of the most mildly irritating people to be around. She was insane. (Edit: She is insane. Now, instead of just dating me, she's laying with me. And I think she maybe wants to get bonded. I can't tell with her anymore.)

All sounds of laughter ceased immediately, and Victoria's hands flew up to move mine away from my head. Her face grew serious, nimble fingers carefully massaging my temples with surprising and utmost care.

All I could do was watch her in awe, once again enamored with the woman of gold skin and earthy eyes that sat on my lap and cared for my health.

I felt like a fool, for my voice shook when I spoke. "What- um. What are you doing?"

She sighed, leaning her forehead against mine. "Giving you a head massage. Clearly, I gave you a headache. This is my apology, Silus. Let me do this, okay?" Her face remained serious until she could tell the tension in my head and upper body left me.

"Thank you…"

Her lips peppered soft kisses on my cheeks once again. "You are quite welcome." I felt her smile into my skin, and in response, my own lips curved up to smile just as brightly.

I tried to keep my mouth shut and not ruin the moment, but it was impossible, considering I lose all sense of verbal self-control when I'm with Victoria.

"You know, it would be nice if I could get kisses like this all the time. Helps me get my affection and suppresses your anxiety, right? Win win!"

She stared at me a moment, as if in disbelief that I had blurted out that thought in my head. A moment of silence stretched into several seconds, which morphed into almost full minutes of wordless quiet. "Umm. Honey. Is your brain okay?"

The skin of my cheeks felt unnecessarily warm. "I can't believe I said that out loud. Sorry. I just. Um. I don't know."

Victoria's baffled expression melted away into uncontrolled amusement. She threw her head back in laughter, one hand clutching my shoulder as the other covered her eyes. I let out a whine of embarrassment, my hands flying upwards to vault onto my face and hide my darkening cheeks. "Please stop laughing! It doesn't help!"

Her giggles tapered away after a little while, and she eventually squished herself against me, pressing soft, sweet (dare I say, sensual) kisses all over my face after pulling my hands away. "That was the cutest thing you've ever said in my presence, dude. Oh my god."

I felt my cheeks continue to darken at her affection. She nuzzled the back of my ear, cooing at me like I was a cute, shy kid and not an ancient demon with unbelievable power that could crush her femur with one hand.

"Victoria, please. I'm not a baby."

Her kisses resumed. "Mmmmm, yeah. You aren't a baby. You're my baby. Damn, you're adorable."

I sighed, but let her do as she wished. If she was willing to give me kisses and other affection, I would gratefully accept it. Where else would I find this level of unfettered love and pure kindness? This woman was my best bet for any future joy and love.

"Fine. But please don't do this around my coworkers. They told me to bring you back so we can have lunch like the first time. And dinner too."

Victoria's devilish grin caused fearful tremors in my existence. "Oh, I think I will. They deserve to see you get coddled, baby. Coddled until you cry." Though butterflies fluttered around within my entire body due to my concern that my reputation would burn into ash, the innocence in her eyes blew them away. I trusted her to show me love and not make me hurt because of it.

"More kisses. You like being in Hell too much for a human. What would my maternal say?"

Her smile glowed bright. "She'd say I was meant for you, Silus."

God, but I couldn't deny her anything. So, I went with it, knowing it was likely true. "I knew that from the first moment you showed me kindness."

She hummed, practically jittery with joy as she leaned into me completely, leaving herself at my mercy. Her arms coiled snugly around my shoulders, but her face remained gingerly pressed against the curve of my neck. The heat in my face rose again when she breathed in against my neck. Her hazel eyes flicked open and closed as her mind fought off the silent embrace of sleep. To my great surprise and excitement, the hammock we made last time we came to the meadows still hung from the old oaks.

I stretched out my wings and clutched Victoria closer, trying to not let her fall as I tucked myself into the hammock and then cradled her against me a moment later. I wrapped both wings around her, my arms still curled around her waist and back.

She murmured her goodnight, and I spent the last of my self-control and will to not coo at her like I usually do when she goes into sleep mode and acts adorable. And even though I am a preternatural demon from the lower bowels of Hell, I still need sleep. For some reason, it's still necessary. So, with my beautiful and idiotic girl wrapped up in my arms, I let my eyes close and my mind drift off before we had to return to her place for the night.

* * *

I awoke to kisses on my cheeks and warm, sweet words whispered in my ear. When my eyes opened, I smiled at the sight of Victoria grinning at me with her sleepy face and trying to wake me up with loving hellos.

She had sat up on my stomach to get me up, but it started to become uncomfortable, so I pulled her down against my chest. Victoria simply giggled, nuzzling my collar bone like a giant puppy. I leaned in and pressed some kisses to her neck. She hummed and received them with no complaint. We remained in that position for a long time.

"You wanna head home now?" I yawned. She pouted.

"No. I have no class for the rest of the week. Either we stay here, or we go for a little trip back to Hell. I'm not going back to my place unless to clean up."

My lips widened into a grin again. This woman was the most ridiculous in the entire universe.

"Alright, fine. We can stay here. But for how long? You and I both still need food."

She grumbled, resting her head over my chest to listen to my heart. (Yes, I have one. So does God. His is loud as shit. Humans were modeled after us angels, you know, fallen or not.)

"Unfortunately. Ugh. Can we go visit your friends? Your friend Ebony from the Judiciary of the Defense department cooks so well!"

I rolled my eyes, but agreed. If my girl liked their food better than her own, who was I to deny her? Frankly, I was relieved. I didn't want to be force fed any more food experiments by my idiot. She was a better baker than cook by a long shot. She doesn't understand savory food at all.

"Fine. Just get off first. I can't move unless you get off me."

She moaned and groaned like a toddler. "But you're so comfortable!"

I snickered, squeezing her in a hug, which made her yelp. "You lazy, adorable fool." She giggled after a moment, propping her upper torso up with her crossed elbows that rested on my chest. I reached a hand up to rake through her hair. Victoria glowed at the motion.

She extended to me that smile she gives her favorite people in the world: her mom, her niece, her best work friend, the people at the hospital. I melted a little, I admit.

But before I recognized her actions, Victoria was pressed a lot closer to me, close enough that I could only see her tightly shut eyes. I felt softness and roughness against my lips. It took me a minute to realize what just happened. But after that minute, she pulled away. In an almost reflexive move, I landed a hand on the back of her neck and pressed her forward again. Both of our eyes closed this time, and I could feel her smile against my lips.

It was glorious. I didn't know what was going on. I was so euphoric and enamored with this woman that I literally didn't understand what we were doing. Her hands stroked along the edges of my brachial muscles, and my hands kept her enfolded in my arms, one on her neck and the other on the small of her back.

Eventually, she tilted her head to change the angle a bit. A million times better. We felt like desperate teenagers, burning with want to have each other close, but burning to be so close. A couple of times, I would stroke along a muscle on her back, and she would whine quietly in pleased response, pressing herself closer and moaning into my lips as her body tensed. Other times, she would dig her fingers into a certain area of my sides or chest, and it would take all of my patience, kindness, and mercy to not ask if I could just fuck her right there. So instead of making her more uncomfortable with a question like that, I just kissed her harder, and she understood.

It was another hour before we finally separated ourselves. And even then, we always had a hand on the other person, not wanting to move away and end the contact.

As we sat up on the hammock, I laughed at the insanity of what just happened. She joined in too. We smiled at each other, dopey expressions making each appear soft to the other. She leaned in and, pressing a hand to my cheek, kissed me one last time. A "I love you so much, Silus" murmured into my lips, and I melted again.

I grinned even after her lips left mine. "I love you too."

We just sat there, grinning like idiots until she decided to get down and head home to clean up her room before we left for Hell.

"Teleportation orrrr?" came my question.

She grinned. "Yeah, no. We're taking a walk and a taxi. You and I are both too uncoordinated to teleport or fly right now, honey."

I chuckled, but nodded, wrapping my arm around her waist as we walked back to the main road.

We walked in mostly silence. She would occasionally hum a tune, and I would not keep up, and she would laugh at me. I would look kinda pouty, and then she would console me while laughing.

For example, she started humming _Here_ by Alessia Cara, but because I have an extremely low and not particularly beautiful voice, I couldn't sing along. Victoria sings beautifully, in my opinion, so she sang the song like an expert. Whereas, I do not have a musical bone in my body. Therefore, when I tried to impress her by singing along with great effort and little talent, I produced a sound that made it seem like I had never heard music before, and she laughed like a hyena at my inability.

"You're so mean."

She giggled her way through her sentence. "Noo, baby, it was good!" She hugged me tightly, burying her face in my neck to hide her laughter. I couldn't help but laugh along when her amused chuckles buzzed against my skin.

Eventually, she let go and curled an arm around my waist, leaning her head on my shoulder as we resumed our journey.

"You are so needlessly amused by what I do," I commented after she laughed when I tripped on a rock.

Victoria smirked as she helped me up. "Two reasons for that. One, it's so funny to see a powerful demon from the lower bowels of Hell trip on a rock and fall and clutch his knee like a toddler. Two, being around you makes me needlessly happy. So shut up." She started out speaking confidently, eyes bright and brave. But by the end of her little spiel, her face turned red, and she couldn't even look me in the eye as she mumbled the second reason.

I, with all of my concerningly sharp teeth and rough skin, leaned down and kissed her hard on the cheek when we stood up again. She whined, pushing at my chest to make me step back. I merely laughed and pressed more kisses to her face.

Because neither of us can hold our own against affection, we ended up getting distracted and kissed in the woods for another thirty minutes. She had me pressed against a tall oak tree, her hands scratched by the rough bark when she tried to cage me in. Uncomfortable with the position, I pushed her back for a moment and straightened my back. She gave me a hurt look, only for it to disappear when I lifted her up and pressed her back against the spot I was just held to. Our lips met again, and she moaned into my mouth.

Holding back my need for her really took all of my patience and will. I wanted to give her everything, but not unless she wanted it. It was hell, but also heaven.

The worst part is, she didn't let me move away until we saw the sun begin to set. The entire time I kept trying to tell her we had to go, Victoria would say "Nope!" and pull me back in. And because I have a pathetically weak will when she's involved, I would go with it. Because of her delicious delays, it was another half hour before we finally made our way down to the main road.

We separated, panting and soft-boned as our feet pulled us away from the tree. Victoria started laughing, and I could only grumble indignantly.

"You know I love you. But never again. We're an hour off-schedule. You're such a distraction."

She smiled, taking my elbow again to keep her hands occupied on our walk to find a cab back home. She leaned up and pressed a sweet kiss on my cheek. I nearly cried at how slow and passionate it was. "You're distracted by my lips, not me. Big difference, Silus. And that's also why your workaholic brain needs me. You need a break from work sometimes, and you honestly don't take breaks unless I make you, either with kisses or complaining. Oh, or by being cute. Works perfectly."

I huffed, but didn't dare make her let go of me. I was going to get as much as I could out of this relationship, no matter how long it lasted. She gave me a bright smile when I pulled my arm free to instead wrap it tightly around her. I'd be lying if I said that smile didn't make my heart soft again.

"Yeah, well. I can't do much to avoid the beauty and intoxicating nature of your existence. So I'm screwed." She cooed at my words, nuzzling my cheek like a kitten.

"Awwww! You're so sweet," crooned my dumb darling.

I smiled as I flew us back home. She fell asleep in my embrace, but I used some of my less common powers to get us into her house without activating the alarms or opening the door. When I tucked us in together for the night, she kissed me in her half-conscious state and told me that I had to keep her with me forever. That nothing I could do would make her want to leave.

My response was a kiss to her forehead and an arm hung over her hip as I made the lights dim and made the blanket cover us.

No words were needed for her to know my love.

* * *

I woke up, again, to more kisses and soft hellos, except this time, the kisses were to my lips. Light broke through my eyes when I cracked them open. Victoria's warm, sweet smile from that morning burned itself into my memory. I smiled back at her hopelessly, completely smitten with the brunette fool. She leaned down to kiss me more properly, and my brain subconsciously noted the sunny taste of coffee and vanilla on her lips and the cooling mint of her toothpaste on her breath. A weird mix, but not unpleasant.

She pulled back slowly, as if it hurt her to move away. I craned a hand up to cradle her cheek, and she smiled at me like I'd just gifted her the moon.

"Morning, sunshine. I'm all packed and ready. And breakfast is on the table if you're done being a sleepy dumbass." Ah, my darling spoke with such eloquence and grace this early in the morning. As I sat up in bed, I stole a few more kisses, pulling her into my lap.

"Mm, can't you wake me up with nice words?"

She chuckled, settling down in my lap before curving her arms around my neck. "That's boring. Also, I woke you up with kisses. I just as well could have woken you up with a bucket of cold water. Consider yourself lucky."

I grinned, pressing her close to me and kissing her neck and shoulder harshly. Her giggles filled the room. "I'll consider myself lucky when you wake me up with nice words and a blowjob. Until then, no."

She only laughed harder, knowing I didn't really mean what I said. Victoria stared into my eyes and leaned closer, placing another kiss on my lips.

"Well, even though you're a sexy spoiled brat, I consider myself very lucky. I get to wake up to you every morning." After she told me that, I glowed like an angel, cried like a little bitch, and told her how much she meant to me. We proceeded to make out for another half hour or so until my hunger grew unbearable.

Her next comment made me blush like a virgin. My surprise and mortification at her words cannot be understated. "If you wanted to just eat me, you could have said that. I wasted a half hour on making breakfast for you." That cocky smirk quickly flew off her face when I flipped us around and pressed her back to the headboard and kissed her until we got dizzy.

When I tried to pull away, she growled and yanked me forward, forcing our lips together and kissing back harder in retaliation.

I groaned into it and let the kiss war continue for another half hour. By that point, the food had grown colder than Satan's heart. (JK. Satan's so nice. Seriously! He gave me a week off because it was my birthday last month!)

Victoria left my lap with lips colored blood red from the kisses, hair tangled from how many times I'd grabbed it, and clothes completely wrinkled from when she'd desperately pulled at them to relieve herself of heat. I used up all of my self-control to let go of her and not press her into the bed and let her take all she wanted from me. She strolled out of the room with an extra sway in her hips and a devilish, sexual smile gracing her lips.

As I shoveled through my breakfast, I bemoaned our conjoined willingness to hold off sex for the sake of readiness.

But the hours after the sexy wake-up make-out and breakfast-in-bed were great! Victoria had already packed her clothes and necessities for the little trip and was waiting for me to get ready. During our time together, I began leaving a lot of stuff at her place for ease of convenience. Mostly toiletries and documents from work, but also the occasional outfit or pillow for the late nights.

So, while she hung out and watched TV to pass the time, I packed my clothes and other necessities into whatever spare suitcase I had available. I still had fun while packing, though, because Victoria brought the suitcase and items into the living room so we could watch TV together rather than her alone.

In fact, she would even insist on watching TV during any chore, especially folding laundry. We made an event out of it, getting our snacks and drinks and keeping our clothes in front of us so we could have a movie night while doing chores.

She'd put on some new TV show on Disney Plus. I really hated those guys sometimes because I preferred to have all my movies and shows in one place, aka Netflix. But Disney had to pull an Apple and do their own thing. The show seemed pretty interesting, though, despite my disdain for Disney Plus. The main character was that guy from the Thor movies, the evil little brother. Loki! That's his name. Yeah, Victoria loved that Loki guy way too much. Clearly Thor had the cooler arc, but she was more into Loki.

But the show was good, I can't lie. And, I didn't want to make her upset by saying I didn't like the show of her favorite character. She isn't the type to get emotional over dumb shit, but she loves Loki a lot.

By the time I finished packing, she had already left for the kitchen again to make us something small for lunch. She came back to me with two little plates of her favorite kind of salad, along with fruity sandwiches made from white bread, peanut butter, and strawberries and bananas.

She pressed a smiling kiss to my mouth as she bent down to hand me the plate. I held her in place a moment and smiled brighter when she sat down with me instead of returning to the couch. We didn't say much, merely kissing a few times and smiling like fools.

I don't expect her to constantly make food for me, since it doesn't always end well (as in, with the kitchen on fire). But also, I don't want her to feel like I impose the usual human gender roles on her. She's told me she felt that way with many past partners, but not with me. I intend to maintain that special-ness.

When we finished, I took the plates back to the kitchen to wash them as she hurried away to retrieve her own suitcase and backpack.

I joined her in the living room, laughing at the sight of my lady struggling to lift my suitcase. She huffed at my amusement. I stepped over to Victoria and lifted the thing with one hand, wrapping an arm around her to pull her close for a kiss.

She pouted up at me when we separated. "How the hell can you lift that thing? It weighs more than a fucking car!"

I grinned. "Darling, you may have forgotten in your time with me, but I am a preternatural angelic being that currently acts on the will of His Satanic Majesty as I reside in his fiery halls. I am quite a bit stronger than you or any other human. Except maybe Jeff Goldblum. That man is a legend."

Her lips curved up into a charmed smile, and she pulled me down for another kiss. Goal accomplished. She loves when I speak in that sophisticated manner I first used when we met.

"Okay, that was pretty. Can we go now? I wanna see your maternal!"

I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't keep the smile off of my face. "Fine, fine. Grab all your stuff. Is everything else okay here?"

She stepped away from me and quickly surveyed the rooms of the apartment, rushing around to make sure everything seemed clean enough so she could go. Victoria ran back over to me, all bright eyes and warm smiles. "We're good!"

In a particularly attractive move, she hefted her backpack over her shoulders and easily lifted her suitcase up like it weighed nothing at all. She walked closer and wrapped my arm around her waist, grinning wide. "Let's go!"

As a being with very fluid sexuality, seeing my love act very strong and display what are usually considered masculine shows of strength greatly increase my attraction to her. As the stronger being between us, I more often put my strength on display, but every time Victoria does anything considered traditionally masculine, I get kind of breathless.

So even as my heart sped up, and my breath quickened, I gave her a confident smile and opened a portal to Hell beneath us.

Contrary to everyone's belief, portals to hell don't exist on Earth. How special do you guys think you are? No, portals to Hell are more like wormholes that can allow for travel through space and time, except the portals connect the Realms instead of different parts of space.

The first time I ever took Victoria to Hell with me, she clung onto me with all her might and screamed her lungs to death out of fear because the fall startled her.

But now? She won't let me hold her and instead screeches victoriously as she falls through millions upon billions of miles of distance in seconds' time.

Does it hurt? Kind of. Am I going to hold a grudge? Fuck no. The way she kisses me, I forget any reason I may have felt angry with her.

But I always feel better when I see her land awkwardly, like a baby giraffe toppling over her own body in an attempt to comprehend walking. Cutest and funniest sight ever. It was better that time because she had luggage, so she couldn't even figure out how to stand up after she fell.

Her glares from after she stood up didn't affect me. So, being the wonderful, amazing person I am, I grabbed her suitcase and stacked it with mine. She begrudgingly rose up and brushed herself off, her dark expression morphing into pure joy at the sight of my maternal waiting in front of my old house for us. Victoria rushed into the older being's arms, laughing happily when my maternal cheered and spun her around.

"I missed you so much, Mama Q!"

My maternal, Quentilia, cooed and coddled my beloved, smiling at the adorable nickname Victoria had dubbed. "I have missed you as well, child. Silus, come in, dear!" My two favorite ladies turned and walked into the house, ignoring me from there on. I couldn't hold anything against them. They loved each other like mother and daughter. I had no reason to be upset. Except when Mama told stories about me to Victoria.

I walked up to the door, and it opened to reveal Mama laughing warmly at something Victoria said from deeper in the house. She beamed and leaned up to kiss my cheek before stepping back to let me in.

She rubbed my cheek, and we held each other's eyes for a few moments until I stepped away to return to Victoria. She had sprawled her body across the massive couch in Mama's living room. I looked around at my surroundings curiously.

Everything looked like a traditional human cabin-type residence. All warm colors and comforting decor. I assumed this was all for Victoria, who still was startled by the traditional Hellish decorations and furnishings. We can change our homes easily in hell, seeing as how the usual rules of physics and science do not apply to our realm. So, whenever Victoria visits, my friends and maternal usually try to accommodate her by making the buildings more similar to what is on Earth.

Victoria looked up at me, the gold in her eyes glowing red from the fireplace. "Hey, there, stranger~!" I chuckled and sat down at the edge of the couch, only for my darling to launch herself over and curl up in my lap. "This is nice."

I grinned. "Obviously. Mama likes you better than me."

She rolled her eyes and got comfortable in my arms. "Sh. Just hold me, you giant, beautiful heathen."

I did as she asked. Mama met my eyes when she sat down in an adjacent sofa. She raised an eyebrow at Victoria's sleeping form pressed against me. I beamed, whispering quietly to not rouse my sleeping idiot. "Yes, we finally got together. No, we're not bonding anytime soon. Too early for that."

She smiled, whispering back just as softly. "Good. You deserve her love. And she deserves yours. Always." I nodded in agreement, and our conversation tapered away into silence. But it wasn't bad. I liked being able to simply hold my darling and watch her grow comfortable against me, the crackle of the fire filling the room. That was enough for me. The knowledge that my beloved would be sleeping in my arms, sharing my breath, hearing my heart, feeling my skin, every night we spent together. Every single night.


	4. Four: Meeting the CEO

Every Night

My maternal kept watch over us both as we slept. She'd seen years and years of my stupidity since I was young and had ensured my safety as long as she could until I grew up and went off on my own.

Victoria kept her head pressed to my chest and slept peacefully, breathing slowly as her ear lay against my heart.

I fell asleep soon after she did, unable to keep up with consciousness with how long I'd stayed up in the past two days. It's not that Victoria kept me awake to do stuff for her. Quite the contrary. In fact, she often tried to force me to go to bed if I showed any sign of tiredness.

I just spent so much time worrying about everything that I don't ever just calm my mind and stay peaceful. I always thought about finishing my work, making sure Victoria was happy, keeping watch over my maternal, protecting myself and Victoria while on the Surface, and ensuring that my department was functioning properly. It was too much on my mind, and I couldn't deal. So, my brain knocked me out cold to make sure I actually got some rest.

* * *

By the time we woke up, Mama Q had already begun preparing dinner for us. She rushed about the kitchen, grasping at different cooking utensils and pans as she attempted to make some kind of fancy meal for me and Victoria.

Victoria sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes with vigour as she worked to wake herself up after our long nap.

She tossed me a gentle smile before sliding off of me to approach Mama for a hug hello. The two embraced briefly as I stood to go to the bathroom and get refreshed before dinner. Victoria walked in after I finished washing my face, hugging me carefully from behind.

I dried my face off with a nice crimson hand towel hanging on a drying rod nearby. Victoria hummed softly as she leaned her head against my back, but moved her face away when I turned around in her arms. She sent me a glowing, sleepy smile. I pressed our foreheads together and held her close by her waist, swaying side to side gently.

"Had a good sleep?"

She stood on the tips of her toes to land a kiss on the corner of my lips. "Absolutely. As I always do with you around." We smiled like fools at one another before I moved away to get in the shower.

"You can take the sink and toilet if you want. I need to get clean after all that interdimensional travel we did yesterday." She nodded, kissed my cheek once more, and tied up her hair to begin the morning routine.

I stripped off my clothes and climbed into the large walk-in shower. I turned the water to as hot as possible and let it wash away all the grime remaining on my skin. As I began washing myself off with the lemon-mint scented soap, I became acutely aware of Victoria's gaze on me in the shower. It wasn't unappreciated or uncomfortable. I just wasn't quite used to getting this kind of attention from her when we were just innocent friends for the longest time.

She sighed at the sound of Mama Q calling her name about a phone call. Victoria rushed out of the bathroom, her feet thudding as she approached Mama Q. I continued my shower without a hitch, climbing out after finding that I hadn't prepared a towel for myself.

I closed the door with a soft thud, groaning at my stupidity.

Victoria's knocks followed my disgruntled groan of despair. "Honey, please let me in. I gotta go to the bathroom."

"I can't! I don't have a towel, Vic. Can you get me one, please?" She whined, but I asked again, stretching out the plea. "Pleeeaaassseee? I don't wanna walk around completely naked. It's uncomfortable!" Victoria grumbled, but relented, her feet thundering against the floor as she entered my room to retrieve a towel.

Once again my savior, Victoria knocked on the door again, mumbling that she has the towel and 'can I please open the door'. I cracked the door open just enough to pull the towel in. I locked the door right after the towel got inside.

The towel was wrapped tightly around my waist before I unlocked the door and let Vic come in. She shouted in relief when the applewood door was pushed open.

She shoved me out on her way to the toilet, which made me laugh loudly at her urgency.

As my feet landed on the carpet outside the bathroom, the door slammed closed behind me, and I heard the lock click into place. The sound of rustling clothes and the lowering toilet seat were all I heard before walking away to give my dear some privacy.

I headed into my room to get some clothes on so Vic and Mama Q wouldn't see me naked. (I'm a demon, not a savage. Also, I really wasn't comfortable with my two ladies seeing me in such a vulnerable state.)

When I returned to the living room, Mama Q and Vic were sitting together on the couch, talking quietly about something. I walked into the room, and their eyes shot up to look at me in surprise. They smiled nervously and waved me over. An eyebrow raised, I headed towards them, sitting between my favorite ladies. "What's up?"

Mama Q bit her lower lip nervously, and my heart plummeted. My Maternal doesn't scare, not for anything, and she definitely doesn't fear me or withhold information from me. So when she shot me that hesitant expression, I prayed that the issue would resolve itself quickly with no damage or struggle to either of my girls. Victoria didn't even look at me when I turned to her. She deliberately avoided eye contact. I turned to my Maternal, hoping there was truly no problem at all.

"Victoria told me she needs your services. Not as a romantic partner. She needs to get revenge on someone." My heart rate slowly decreased as my anxiety leveled out to calmness.

I turned to look at my girlfriend, my hands shaking as I tilted her face towards me. My voice broke when I spoke. "Victoria, why couldn't you tell me?"

Her words brought tears to my eyes, even though they were so quiet. She choked up while speaking. "I was scared you would leave me and take my soul, since I technically have contempt in my heart. I didn't want to make you mad… I didn't want you to see me as a bad enough person that I deserved to have my soul taken away…"

Mama Q took that as her cue to leave, and I only held back any movements until she was out of the room. Once I couldn't see her in the doorway, I heaved Vic into my lap and hugged her tight enough that she had to tap my arm to inform me about the oxygen loss.

She peeked at me through her tears. "I'm not bad, right? Please, Silus. I'm not bad, right?"

I clutched her closer and stroked a hand down the back of her head. "You're the only one worthy of Heaven, my dear. Compared to most angels, you are far more worthy. I would not take your soul. Not now, not ever." My words appeared to give her reassurance because she tucked herself against me and clung to my neck.

"Thank you. Oh god, thank you. I love you."

I shook my head, kissing her temple. "No need to thank me. I love you. You love me. That's all that's important right now, darling. Now. Who do you want to get revenge against?"

She stared straight into my eyes this time. No fear or hesitation. "The people who killed my parents."

This time, I choked. But more from shock than fear or pain. "What?!"

Vic grunted. "That's also why I was nervous to ask you myself. I don't know how this whole Avenger thing works. My parents were found dead in their home this morning. The police call it a suicide. I call bullshit. My parents have — had — too much to live for. They wouldn't have done that, Silus. I know so. They weren't close to me, but they were still my parents. I still loved them. If the criminals only have circumstantial evidence against them, they won't get punished for their crimes. I want them to suffer. I want you to make them suffer."

I set her down on the couch again and clutched my head. This was too much. It's one thing Avenging against distant, random strangers. It's another thing Avenging against the people who killed my girlfriend's mom and dad, both of whom I met as my human form, Silas Rogers. Victoria had introduced me to them as her friend, and that was the first and last time I met the Raos. But now…to think that I would have to get involved in Avenging their deaths…something about that ordeal made me nervous.

She sighed. "If you don't believe me, let me go with you and show you everything. Please. Silus, I know you're not sure about this, but I am. I know they need to meet justice. This is what they deserve for hurting my parents."

I nodded, rubbing my face. I sighed deeply. "Alright. We'll handle that later. I just. I need to think, okay? Will you be mad at me if I say no?"

With a soft, sad smile, she shook her head. "I'd never get mad at you, baby. Not for something like this. I'll maybe ask one of your colleagues. I need to see them punished, but I will never force your hand on them."

I couldn't help the smile that came to my face. I patted her cheek lightly, and we melted together in a soft, hesitant kiss. I could feel the nervousness burning in that kiss. We weren't as comfortable as we usually were. It was definitely because of the conversation of Avenging Victoria's parents. But it would pass. We'd had our arguments, but they always pass.

I understand why you must feel displeased with my hesitation. But you must understand as well that Avengers do not fight for the justice of those we know closely. It is considered highly biased activity if we kill someone based on a shared acquaintance's request. And as the demons going after unmanageable cases, we have to avoid bias at all costs. I'm just grateful that Victoria understood me and didn't get angry at my possible refusal.

But we put that past us. We wanted to enjoy the few days we had in Hell before returning to our usual mundane routine. So, like a good boyfriend from the lower circles of Satan's Kingdom, I took her to different places there. Places where I went after first arriving here, places my Maternal loves, places my colleagues and friends love, etc. I planned a visit to the Palace of Our King on the second to last day (to allow for enough time there) so that my darling human could meet the being that gave me new purpose after I lost everything during my banishment from Heaven.

Victoria questioned me incessantly, trying to learn as much about my home as possible. I couldn't fault her or be upset. She's just too cute! Besides, her eyes would spark with this beautiful childish curiosity that I almost never saw in her, and I yearned to make that look stay in her face forever.

I won't bore you with descriptions of the different places we visited because, to me, they're not at all easy to describe. Victoria could probably explain them better.

Instead, I'll tell you about the residence of Lucifer, our Great and Merciful.

It doesn't really look like any form of architecture found on Earth. After all, physics and science are practically irrelevant here. Instead, the entire palace functions and thrives like a machine, running completely off of Our King's life-force.

Contrary to popular belief, us demons don't take souls because we're dying. No, we take souls as energy boosters, just like how humans eat food for energy. We simply cannot live without consuming a soul; however, depending on the status, age, and power of a certain demon, our reliance on consuming souls changes. Lower demons will require more souls in a month than a higher demon working directly for Our King.

Imagine the most beautiful palace you've ever seen. Turn that gold and sunshine theme to darkness and blood. Imagine the largest building you've ever seen. Perhaps like the temple in Angkor Wat, but more of the building filling the gap. Or like the sky-reaching walls and echoing chambers of St. Peter's Basilica. (A hilarious irony, truly.) Better yet, combine all three previous ideas I described to you, and that is a fairly accurate illustration of Our King's Palace.

"Sweetie, am I gonna have to meet the big man today?" My darling had resumed her questions. Victoria clung to my hand painfully tight in her paranoia of entering this demonic temple to the Unnamable One.

I sighed. "Victoria, anyone who enters the Palace must, at least one, meet with the Darkest. He would expect that of us no matter who we are. But don't be afraid. The King of Demons though He is, He will treat you with gentile and respect. You are a guest in his home, and as such, he won't dare hurt you or intentionally aim to frighten you. Besides, you're a human. He sees all in this Palace, and He knows your fear. He won't do anything untoward."

She still whimpered like a traumatized pup, but she let me curl an arm around her and keep her closer, at least for her comfort.

The guards at the entrance to the Palace bowed their heads at me. I smiled and returned the gesture. They focused their attentions to my girlfriend, whose eyes anxiously flitted around to take in as much information as possible for her safety. We entered through the massive black iron doors, and took our steps inside the Palace. Victoria shivered as if she were in Antarctica, and I loosened up in comfort. Our King exemplified the best characteristics of the Angels, Demons, and Humans. He was perfect. I came here on my first day in Hell, pathetic and sobbing for my lover, for my friends in Heaven. He was the one to console me and offer me work in the Avenging Department, as a way to let out my anger and pain. I accepted without question. His smile stuck with me from then even until now.

I navigated the hallways easily, twisting and curling through the massive spaces and barely taking note of the complex monarchist French décor and furniture. Victoria's mind behaved exactly opposite to mine, earthy eyes straining to comprehend the wonder of all the glorious objects surrounding her.

The end of our journey brought us to the Throne Room, where the Great Learner judged all the souls and demons in His realm from His perch high above all. In fact, we'd entered right after a massive trial had ended, when many other demons milled around the massive space in preparation to return to their work. I believe the trial centered around a scandal where one of the superiors in the Pleasure Department had attempted to use her gift of persuasion and manipulation against one of the Advisors to Our King as a means to obtain a promotion in her department. This greatly displeased the Advisor and Our King, who saw fit to force the demoness to Court when she refused to comply at the first declaration of her trial. I know nothing beyond that.

Our King, in all His glorious Majesty, stood in front of his throne, his back turned to us. I cleared my throat hesitantly. "My Lord, 'tis I, Drakonsilus."

His Highness quickly ascended the stairs and sat upon the looming gold, red, and black chair. He smiled down at me benevolently, crimson and gold eyes glowing in the dim light of the room. "Welcome again to my home, my boy. I have missed your presence in these vast halls, Drakonsilus. Hopefully, you have not yet forgotten your oldest friend?"

I smiled back, a bit more at ease from his gentle words. I glanced at Victoria, whose eyes had doubled in size but watched the floor. Her grasp on my arm had tightened since we entered the palace, and her lips quivered. I stepped in front of her, blocking her view of Our King with myself. She released a soft sniffle, turning her face up to mine. I kissed her forehead. "He is kind, beloved. Stay here. I shall call you forward when it is time, yes?" My girl seemed to melt at my words, nodding slowly as the softness and confidence of warmth and love returned to her eyes. She kept her face down as I left to walk forward and kneel before my ruler.

He smiled wider when I opened my mouth to speak. "No, My Lord. I could never. You gave me purpose after my great loss. And now, I live free and wise. If I am so well, it is because of Your mercy and grace."

Lucifer laughed, a summery sound in such a lightless place. I gazed up happily, my own heart softening at hearing His elation. Those eyes once again peered at me with some kind of love, some kind of incomprehensible tenderness. His gaze flicked back towards my darling, who stood still with her arms clasped in front of her and her head hung in humility. "This must be the human woman with whom you've become so enamored. Quite a beautiful girl, I must say."

At the relief of hearing his approval, I stood tall and proud, holding out my arm for Victoria to come join me. "Darling, step forward. Our King would speak with you." I encountered a form of astonishment at my beloved's gait as she approached us.

I observe many things about my dear lady. Every time she does anything while I am without work or prior commitment, I endeavor to understand her better just by her actions. Her walk takes several forms. When she returned home from the outside world after something wonderful happened, she bounds in like a puppy, all effervescence and joy. She almost appears to skip inside. After a dreadful experience or day, she will trudge inside as if her whole world has collapsed around her. Some days, she will have experienced a wonderful peace and equanimity that causes her to float inside like a butterfly, eyes soft and sweet and distant. And other days, she will stomp or scamper inside as if she had been running from wild dogs to avoid certain death, clearly panicked by either her own mind or by an outside event.

If she walked in happy, I could expect lots of hugs, kisses, overall adoration, and lots of intense makeout sessions anywhere in the house. If she walked in sad, I could expect many tears and perhaps some mental breakdowns and panic attacks. If she walked in peaceful, I could expect the next few days to consist of nothing but complete doting behavior towards me, absolute pampering. And if she walked in panicked, I could expect extreme emotional meltdowns and swings.

I never anticipated this walk, full of ethereal grace and, for lack of a better word, humble queenliness. If I say I definitely expected this from my Victoria, my Maternal would scold me eternally for dishonesty.

My love stepped forward into my embrace, allowing me to place no more than a careful arm about her waist. She smiled at me expectantly. I grunted out a nervous laugh and gazed up at Lucifer, who'd begun to step down the stairs to His throne. Treading backwards to avoid collision with His Highness, I introduced Victoria properly.

"My Lord, this is Victoria Rao, holder of my heart, my darling." My King beamed at my love-entrenched words. My skin grew so warm with embarrassment under his gaze that I averted his looks and turned to Victoria, who addressed me with the most breathtaking, love-filled expression. I strived to not allow that face to weaken me. "My love, this is King Lucifer, Lord of Hell, Prince of Darkness, The First Light of this World, Satan."

At last, my darling set her eyes upon Our King, and her lips fell open in wonder. She released a few breathy sighs as she observed Him more closely. Her gaze fixated upon His face for several minutes, as if unable to understand whom she was looking at. She finally swung her head to look at me and murmur, "He's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life. But I'm confused." Her enamored expression cleared slowly. "If He's the King of Hell, why does He look human?"

I sputtered pathetically, and Satan almost fell over from laughing too hard.

"Sweetheart, you can't just ask why the Dark Lord looks human!" She pouted at me and huffed at my bewildered, indignant tone.

"You're so not helpful." Victoria sighed, shaking her head in a dramatic fashion as she looked down at the hysterical Devil losing all breath and life on the floor because of a simple question from a simple human. Satan finally stood up, still snickering as he whipped tears away from his face with nimble fingertips.

He smiled affectionately at my girl. "Dearheart, I was the most beloved and the first of God's angels. I was adored by all in His Kingdom. My form was extremely consterning to humans, whose minds can only perceive so much of the wonder of God's power. When I fell and became the King of Hell, my form became even more inconceivable than it already was. If you were to regard me in my truest form, you would burn away like leaves in a firestorm. At least my demons could bear the sight. You wouldn't last even seconds in my presence."

She tilted her head to the side, clearly another query already forming in her mind. I could almost see the puppy ears drooping adorable on her head. "If you can do that, and all the demons are fallen angels, does that mean that Silus has a truer form beyond this one?"

Lucifer raised an eyebrow at her. "Silus?"

She giggled. "His name is so pretty, I didn't want to butcher it by saying it lazily or without care, so I gave him the nickname Silus."

My King smirked at me, and my desire to melt into the ground like an ice cube only strengthened from a weak flicker to a massive flame. He chuckled, nodding. "Somewhat. Each demon has a few forms, more or less depending on their role. I am King, and so my form is unperceivable. Drakonsilus is an Avenger, as I'm sure he told you. His work requires that he have several human and demonic forms. His highest is quite godly, if I do say so myself. He may not have had a very high ranking in Heaven, but in hell, he's exceeded expectations many times and I've promoted him several times, and I plan to continue promoting him should he continue to exceed."

She grinned at me then, all sugar and devotion and infatuation. "Will you show me your true form some day, honey? You don't have to if you don't want to, but I would someday like to see you as you really are."

Lucifer stepped back a few paces to give us our moment, and I knelt before her, trying to convey the same wondrous love of hers with my eyes and my words. My hands clutched hers tightly, and I promised in an entranced voice, "My love, I would bring God Himself down from Heaven if you asked me to. Call me dramatic, but it's true."

She guffawed lightly. "I don't need all that. I just want to see you, baby. Nothing more I'd want than that, okay? Not unless for an AMAZING reason."

I grinned. "Doesn't hurt to overachieve in a relationship, right?"

Victoria pulled me up, kissing my cheek. "It does. That means you have to pull bigger and bigger stunts to get my approval, sugar. One thing at a time, okay?"

My shoulders rolled in a light shrug, and I wrapped an arm around her, turning back to Our King. Victoria kept talking. "So what do we do now?"

He grinned. "You stay for lunch, my girl."

Victoria's smile widened devilishly, which caught His Highness' attention. The two stepped closer, and she hooked one arm through his elbow and the other through mine. "Your Highness, I'll only agree if you come up to my world for a visit. Waste a day with us. I promise, I'm a wonderful host. Nothing holy in my house to hurt you either!"

He cooed. "You are such a small human, and yet you take my arm and treat me like a friend. Do you not fear me? I have the power to kill you with nothing but a thought, you know."

She shrugged. "I mean, I fell in love with a demon. He can kill me, but he didn't. I know a bunch of his fellow demon friends. They all can kill me too, but they didn't. I mean, I've got a good bet with You. You could have killed me the moment I asked that question, but you didn't. I'm really not all that scared of the people Silus has introduced me to. So far, all of them are really nice. My belief is, you all like me too much because of how human I am. This is a cold place. I wanna be the warm blanket in this giant snowstorm."

The Prince of Darkness smirked at me over my girl's head, eyes sparkling with mischief like they used to. "Boy, where can I find myself another one of her, and when are you both free? She's just made me a wonderful proposition, and I intend to accept the offer. It would be a wonderful vacation, don't you think?"

I sighed and put on a brave face. I was going to regret this decision for all of eternity, bringing the CEO-of-sorts up for a little vacation to my house.

"You just have to let her come to you, Sire. And as for when, I've got all the time in Hell."


End file.
